Business Case and Plan - BGCI...Plants are essential for human and other animal life on Earth in...

Botanic Gardens ConservationInternational 2015-2020

Business Case and Plan

Plant diversity is essential to human wellbeing and survival, and

yet more than 80,000 seed-bearing plant species (20% of the

total) are currently under threat. This threat of extinction is

largely due to habitat degradation, invasive alien species and

over-exploitation, and is likely to be exacerbated by climate

change. This threatened plant diversity will be critical for

solving some of this century’s major challenges in the areas of

food security, energy, water scarcity, human health, climate

change and habitat degradation.

Botanic gardens offer the opportunity to conserve and manage

a wide range of plant diversity ex situ, and in situ in the

broader landscape. The rationale that botanic gardens have a

major role to play in preventing plant species extinctions

through integrated plant conservation action is based on the

following assumptions:

• There is no technical reason why any plant species should

become extinct. Given the array of ex situ and in situ

conservation techniques employed by the botanic garden

community (seed banking, cultivation, tissue culture,

assisted migration, species recovery, ecological restoration

etc.) we should be able to avoid species extinctions;

• As a professional community, botanic gardens possess a

unique set of skills that encompass finding, identifying,

collecting, conserving and growing plant diversity across the

entire taxonomic spectrum.

Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is a

membership organisation representing a network of 500

botanic gardens in over 100 countries, including the largest

and most influential gardens in the sector. Following the

example of the crop conservation community, BGCI’s botanic

garden-centred Global System for the conservation and

management of all plant diversity will aim to collect, conserve,

characterise and cultivate samples from all of the world’s rare

and threatened plants as an insurance policy against their

extinction in the wild and as a source of plant material for

human innovation, adaptation and resilience.

The BGCI network of botanic gardens includes: globally

significant ex situ collections, covering approximately 33% of

total plant diversity; world class seed banks, glass houses and

tissue culture infrastructures, and; technical knowledge

networks covering all aspects of plant conservation policy,

practice and education. However, substantial investment will

be required to build a fully functioning Global System that can

prevent species extinctions in perpetuity. In particular, we in the

botanic gardens sector need to:

• Organize ourselves as a professional community, and promote

our unique skills to policy makers, funders and other

stakeholders;

• Promote and prioritize plant conservation and use in botanic

gardens;

• Focus botanic garden efforts on the rarest, most threatened,

and challenging species;

• Work with other sectors (e.g. forestry, horticulture, agriculture

and in situ conservationists);

• Facilitate plant conservation action in broader society through

stimulating public dialogue, creating opportunities for

participation in local and global conservation efforts and

through provision of education, tools and information.

BGCI is in a prime position to promote a more efficient, cost-

effective and rational approach to plant conservation in botanic

gardens. We will do this in four ways by:

1. Leading and advocacy: We will provide leadership to the

botanic gardens sector, grow our membership, and promote

the role of botanic gardens to policymakers and funders in

delivering the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC)

(see Annex 2).

2. Leading innovative and strategic projects achievingoutcomes in plant conservation policy, practice andeducation. BGCI will lead projects and networks deliveringGSPC targets in red listing (Target 2), seed conservation

(Targets 8 & 9), ecological restoration (Targets 4 & 8), plant

health and biosecurity (Target 10), ecosystem services and

livelihoods (Targets 12 & 13) and education (Target 14).

3. Building plant conservation capacity in botanicgardens and broader society: We will build technical

capacity in the botanic garden sector and beyond by acting

as a knowledge hub and a clearing house for best practice,

training, resources and expertise (Targets 3 and 15).

4. Providing funding:We will accelerate our fundraising efforts

in order to mobilise funding to deliver plant conservation

outcomes in the botanic gardens sector and wider society.

This document sets out a series of activities and outcomes

related to the four strategies outlined above. Over the next 5

years we will deliver 15 key commitments which are outlined in

Annex 1.

2 | Business Case and Plan for Botanic Gardens Conservation International 2015-2020

Executive summary

Barney Wilczak

Business Case

1. Introduction

2. The concept of a Global System

3. A Global System for botanic gardens

4. Building the Global System

Plants are essential for human and other animal life on Earth in that theycapture energy from the sun and convert it into food in the form of their seeds,leaves and roots. Human life is further sustained by the medicines, buildingmaterials and fuel that plants provide. Plants are central to many ecologicalprocesses such as climate regulation (including carbon dioxide absorption),soil fertility and the purification of both water and air.

Barney Wilczak

Plant diversity is essential to human wellbeingand survival, and yet more than 80,000 seed-bearing plant species (20% of the total) arecurrently under threat. This threat of extinctionis largely due to habitat degradation, invasivealien species and over-exploitation, and is likelyto be exacerbated by climate change. Thisthreatened plant diversity will be critical forsolving some of this century’s major challengesin the areas of food security, energy, waterscarcity, human health, climate change andhabitat degradation.

It is estimated that humans have modified morethan 50% of the world’s land surface2, withapproximately 40% given over to agriculture andlivestock management. For plants with naturaldistributions that fall within these transformedareas, ex situ conservation may be the only waythey can survive. Even in national parks andwilderness areas not significantly altered oractively managed by people, plant populationsmay be vulnerable – particularly to invasivespecies, pests, diseases and a changing climate.

Botanic gardens offer the opportunity to conserve and manage a

wide range of plant diversity ex situ, and in situ in the broader

landscape. The rationale that botanic gardens have a major role

to play in preventing plant species extinctions through integrated

plant conservation action is based on the following assumptions:

• There is no technical reason why any plant species should

become extinct. Given the array of ex situ and in situ

conservation techniques employed by the botanic garden

community (seed banking, cultivation, tissue culture, assisted

migration, species recovery, ecological restoration etc.) we

should be able to avoid species extinctions;

• As a professional community, botanic gardens possess a

unique set of skills that encompass finding, identifying,

collecting, conserving and growing plant diversity across the

entire taxonomic spectrum.

Botanic gardens are a diverse community, fulfilling multiple

objectives including attracting visitors, public education,

scientific research, horticulture and conservation. They have the

potential to maximise their plant conservation impact by

prioritising plant conservation action, becoming better organised

as a professional community, and effectively communicating

their role and objectives in plant conservation to policy makers,

funders and the general public.

Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is amembership organisation, representing botanic gardens in more

than 100 countries around the world. We aim to support and

empower our members and the wider conservation community,

including ordinary citizens, so that our knowledge and expertise

can be applied to reversing the threat of extinction facing plants.

Our vision is a world in which plant diversity is valued, secure

and supporting all life, and our mission is:

“ To mobilise botanic gardens and engagepartners in securing plant diversity for the well-being of people and the planet ”.

In this document we set out how we will achieve this mission

through the establishment and promotion of a botanic garden-

centred Global System for the conservation and management of

all plant diversity that aims to collect, conserve, characterise and

cultivate samples from all of the world’s rare and threatened

plants as an insurance policy against their extinction in the wild

and as a source of plant material for human innovation,

adaptation and resilience.


1. Introduction

Barney Wilczak

RBG Kew

1Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) 2Hooke et al., (2012) Land transformation by humans: a review. GSA Today, v. 22, no. 12, doi: 10.1130/GSAT151A.1.

The need for a Global System is exemplified by the endeavours of the global crop researchcommunity. Despite its importance to foodsecurity, much of the world’s crop diversity isneither safely conserved, nor readily available toscientists and farmers who rely on it to safeguardagricultural productivity. Crop diversity is beinglost, and with it the biological basis of our food supply.

Given the urgent need to achieve food security in the face ofa changing climate and burgeoning human population, thecrop research community has developed the concept of acost-effective, rational Global System for the conservation ofplant genetic resources in food and agriculture. This GlobalSystem, established by the Food and AgricultureOrganisation of the United Nations (FAO), compriseselements of policy, planning, a review process, physicalinfrastructures, human resources, germplasm collections anddata. It consists of:

• The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources forFood and Agriculture (PGRFA);

• The Global Plan of Action for PGRFA;• A review process (State of the World’s PGRFA);• A network of international institutions and crop collections;• A global portal of accession-level data (Genesys);• A universal gene bank information management system

(GRIN Global); • Advanced bioinformatics tools that allow users to mine

crop characterisation data (DIVSEEK).

Compared to the botanic garden community, the cropcommunity is highly centralised around the Food andAgriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and themultilateral germplasm collections in the gene banks of theConsultative Group on International Agricultural Research(CGIAR). Likewise, the International Treaty facilitates access tomaterial and data between national gene banks, multilateralgene banks and users. No such centralised, multilateralinfrastructure exists for botanic gardens. Nevertheless, thereare strong parallels with the policy, infrastructural and technicalframeworks that exist in the botanic gardens community.


2. The concept of a Global System

Nautilus Film / TRAFFIC / WWF

Following the example of the crop conservationcommunity, a botanic garden-centred GlobalSystem for the conservation and management ofall plant diversity would aim to collect, conserve,characterise and cultivate samples from all ofthe world’s rare and threatened plants as aninsurance policy against their extinction in thewild and as a source of plant material for humaninnovation, adaptation and resilience.

This Global System comprises the following components:

• A global policy framework (the Convention on Biological Diversity);

• A global action plan (the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation);

• A review process (the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation);

• A collections infrastructure comprising an internationalnetwork of botanic gardens and their living collections;

• A global portal of plant collection data (PlantSearch);• An array of data sources providing access to phenotypic

and genotypic data enabling effective plant conservation,and the use of the collections for human development and well-being;

• A range of tools, resources and activities that aims toincrease awareness and participation in plant conservationresulting in wide reaching benefits for society.

Most of the policy, planning and review architecture alreadyexists, as indicated above. In addition, BGCI itself sits at thecentre of a network of 500 botanic gardens in more than 100countries around the world, which includes:

• Globally significant ex situ collections, covering at leastone third of total plant diversity;

• World class seed bank, glasshouse and tissue cultureinfrastructures;

• Technical knowledge/skill networks, such as theMillennium Seed Bank Partnership, the EcologicalRestoration Alliance, the Plant Conservation Alliance, theCenter for Plant Conservation, and so on;

• A global database of ex situ collections held in botanicgardens around the world (PlantSearch);

• Collection characterisation data sources and tools such asthe Millennium Seed Bank’s Data Warehouse, the Atlas ofLiving Australia, the UK Germination Toolbox etc;

• Hubs of excellence in informal education and publicengagement.

However, substantial investment will be required to build afully functioning Global System that can prevent speciesextinctions in perpetuity. In particular, we in the botanicgardens sector need to:

• Organize ourselves as a professional community, andpromote our unique skills to policy makers, funders andother stakeholders;

• Promote and prioritize plant conservation and use inbotanic gardens;

• Focus botanic garden efforts on the rarest, mostthreatened and challenging species;

• Work with other sectors (e.g. forestry, horticulture,agriculture and in situ conservationists);

• Facilitate plant conservation action in broader societythrough stimulating public dialogue, creating opportunitiesfor participation in local and global conservation effortsand provision of education, tools and information;

• Compile and share information and data relevant to plantconservation within and beyond the botanic gardencommunity.


3. A Global System for botanic gardens

Barney Wilczak

Sitting at the centre of a network of botanicgardens in over 100 countries, including thelargest and most influential gardens in our sector,BGCI is in a prime position to promote a moreefficient, cost-effective and rational approach toplant conservation in botanic gardens.

We will do this in four ways by:

• Leading and advocacy: We will provide leadership to thebotanic gardens sector, grow our membership, andpromote the role of botanic gardens to policymakers andfunders in delivering the GSPC (see Annex 2);

• Leading innovative and strategic projects achievingoutcomes in plant conservation policy, practice andeducation. BGCI will lead projects and networksdelivering GSPC targets in red listing (Target 2), seedconservation (Targets 8 & 9), ecological restoration(Targets 4 & 8), plant health and biosecurity (Target 10),ecosystem services and livelihoods (Targets 12 & 13) andeducation (Target 14);

• Building plant conservation capacity in botanic gardensand broader society:We will build technical capacity in thebotanic garden sector and beyond by acting as aknowledge hub and a clearing house for best practice,training, resources and expertise (Targets 3 and 15);

• Providing funding: We will accelerate our fundraisingefforts in order to mobilise funding to deliver plantconservation projects and outcomes in the botanicgardens sector and wider society.

Further details are provided in the Business Plan, below.


4. Building the Global System

Christopher K. Willis

Business Plan

1. BGCI as a leader and advocate for the botanic garden sector

2. BGCI leading innovative and strategic projects and networks delivering plant conservationpolicy, practice and education outcomes

3. BGCI building plant conservation capacity in botanic gardens and broader society

4. BGCI as a funder

BGCI’s current network comprises 500 botanic gardens in over 100countries, making it by far the largest network of botanic gardens in the world


The major outcomes by 2020 will be:

BGCI Membership is increased to over 1000 botanic gardenmembers;

BGCI’s International Advisory Council is recognised as the seniorvoice of the botanic garden professional community;

BGCI maintains its position as the global authority on Target 8 ofthe GSPC, leads data sharing initiatives among botanic gardens,and will publish a major review on progress towards Target 8;

Plant conservation is visible in a post-2020 CBD strategy;

BGCI’s threatened plants list is developed into the mostcomprehensive list of threatened plant taxa in the world andmade available to users on our website as ‘ThreatSearch’ and asa resource for global plant conservation efforts;

Botanic gardens’ contribution to the GSPC targets are quantified,and gaps in effort and knowledge are identified enabling training,data sharing and project implementation efforts to be targetedaccordingly (see sections 2-4 below);

Formal alliances are developed with policymakers, such as theinternational convention secretariats (e.g. CBD, CITES), andsubsidiary technical bodies such as SBSTTA, IPBES and BIP;

BGCI awards and prizes for plant conservation excellence areestablished at BGCI Congresses and other venues;

Alliances are developed with other land use sectors managingplant diversity, including forestry, agriculture, horticulture, otherex situ conservation networks and in situ conservationpractitioners;

The contribution of BGCI and botanic gardens to the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs) is identified, recognised andpublicised.

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1. BGCI as a leader and advocate for the botanic garden sector

BGCI’s current network comprises 500 botanic gardensin over 100 countries, making it by far the largest networkof botanic gardens in the world. BGCI’s position at thecentre of this network, its policy track record, and itsdata, place the organisation in an excellent position toassess, monitor and co-ordinate the contribution thatbotanic gardens make to plant conservation, progresstowards the delivery of the GSPC targets and theestablishment of the Global System. BGCI will:

• Broaden BGCI’s membership, particularly indeveloping countries and parts of the world wherethere are language or cultural barriers;

• Further develop BGCI’s PlantSearch, GardenSearch,tree list and threatened plants list into the mostcomprehensive global data sources available to enableus to assess and monitor the contribution of botanicgardens to Target 8 of the GSPC and broader plantconservation and use efforts;

• Co-ordinate the development of a rational, cost-effective Global System by assessing the contributionand performance of botanic gardens and relatedinstitutions against the GSPC targets, and identifyinggaps in knowledge, resources and other constraints;

• Work with the CBD Secretariat, the Global Partnershipfor Plant Conservation, the Biodiversity IndicatorsPartnership, the Intergovernmental Platform onBiodiversity and Ecosystem Service and other bodiesto promote the GSPC and the role of botanic gardensin delivering its targets;

• Celebrate, recognise and share excellence in plantconservation policy, practice and public engagementin botanic gardens.

Chicago Botanic Garden

Luis Roberto Gonzalez Torres


Specialist networks are developed within BGCI’s network for redlisting, seed and ex situ conservation, ecological restoration, plant health, tree conservation, science communication and publicengagement. Best practice projects are showcased throughBGCI’s website, congresses, events and specialist meetings;

BGCI’s tree list is developed into the most comprehensive globallist of tree taxa and made available to users on our website as‘GlobalTreeSearch’ and as a resource for global treeconservation efforts;

BGCI’s threatened plants list is developed into the mostcomprehensive list of threatened plant taxa in the world andmade available to users on our website as ‘ThreatSearch’ and asa resource for global plant conservation efforts;

Conservation assessments are carried out for all tree speciesthrough the Global Tree Assessment (GTA);

200 gardens sign up to the Global Seed Conservation Challenge,and seed from threatened species is doubled in botanic gardensby 2020;

The Ecological Restoration Alliance, comprising at least 50botanic garden members and 100 long term restoration sites,provides demonstration of best practice in ecological restorationfor biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services andlivelihoods;

Exceptional species conservation is advanced by the globalbotanic garden community and ex situ protocols are developedfor at least 10% of threatened exceptional species;

The International Plant Sentinel Network early warning system isfully operational with member gardens in 40 countries andengages additional partners from both international and nationalplant health institutes (including National Plant ProtectionOrganisations);

No tree extinctions on our watch! A zero extinction Global TreesCampaign strategy is developed and implemented for the world’smost threatened trees, in collaboration with FFI, BGCI’s membergardens and other partners;

Communities in Nature: A Community of Practice is establishedconsisting of 25 mentor botanic gardens and 25 beneficiarybotanic gardens around the world registered as part of anonline community, and working together;

A global toolkit for science communication in botanic gardens isdeveloped;

A suite of plant conservation projects are implemented by BGCIfocussing on socio-economically and culturally importantthreatened plant species.


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2. BGCI leading innovative andstrategic projects and networksdelivering plant conservation policy,practice and education outcomes

BGCI’s members include the largest and most influentialgardens in the sector, and the network has a strong trackrecord of plant conservation action, creating a powerfulspringboard for scaling up. Building on 25 years ofexperience and momentum, BGCI will lead projects andpartnerships achieving outcomes in plant conservationpolicy, practice and education. Using the Global Strategyfor Plant Conservation (GSPC) as a strategic framework(Annex 2), BGCI will deliver GSPC targets in red listing(Target 2), seed conservation (Targets 8 & 9), ecologicalrestoration (Targets 4 & 8), plant health and biosecurity(Target 10), ecosystem services and livelihoods (Targets12 & 13), tree conservation (all Targets) and education(Target 14). We will:

• Develop projects and specialist networks within thebroader botanic gardens community with key skills inplant conservation policy, practice and education;

• Promote links to, and work with, other sectorsincluding agriculture, forestry, horticulture and in situconservation practitioners;

• Lead the Global Tree Assessment, working closelywith the IUCN Global Tree Specialist Group and asmembers of IUCN’s Red List Partnership;

• Collate national, regional and global threatassessments for plants into a comprehensive list of threatened plants towards achieving Target 2 of the GSPC;

• Launch and promote the Global Seed ConservationChallenge in order to accelerate seed banking effortsin botanic gardens, prioritising rare, threatened anduseful species (Targets 8 & 9);

• Lead and co-ordinate the Ecological RestorationAlliance of Botanic Gardens, carrying out restorationprojects across five continents and in at least 100different habitats and cultural contexts;

• Lead and promote the International Plant SentinelNetwork as a global early warning system for plantpests and diseases;

• Develop a suite of projects aimed at bringing botanicgardens’ horticultural expertise to bear on cultivatinguseful species for the delivery of provisioning,regulating and cultural ecosystem services forsustainable livelihoods;

• Co-lead, with Fauna & Flora International, the GlobalTrees Campaign aiming to prevent all tree extinctions;

• Develop a suite of projects delivering best practicescience communication, innovative publicengagement methodologies and high qualityeducation research and evaluation.

3. BGCI building plant conservationcapacity in botanic gardens andbroader society

Although BGCI’s network already includes the world’sleading botanic gardens, state of the art infrastructures,world class collections, data, skills and expertise, it is (a)not comprehensive, and (b) distribution of thoseresources is patchy and inconsistent. BGCI will work withits members to build capacity within the botanic gardenprofessional community. In addition, although manybotanic gardens do manage native plant assemblagesand natural landscapes, the areas of land they manageare tiny compared to the in situ conservation, agricultural,horticultural and forestry sectors. In farming and forestry,in particular, the vulnerability of monocultures to novelpests and diseases over the past few decades, hascreated a strong imperative to work with more complexspecies assemblages and broader genetic diversity. Theresult is that these sectors need the skills and knowledgethat reside in botanic gardens. In turn, botanic gardenssee the need to work with broader society to ensure thatplant diversity is valued, protected and grown in alllandscapes. To this end, BGCI will:

• Promote and disseminate best practice across thenetwork through our website, congresses, events andspecialist meetings;

• Re-structure BGCI’s website to disseminateinformation in technical areas: case studies, trainingtools and resources, key references, registers offacilities and expertise (e.g. e-learning, trainingcourses, tools, materials);

• Develop BGCI materials, information services andpractical support for existing and new botanic gardensfocusing on specific geographic areas where there aresignificant gaps in knowledge and capacity;

• Further develop BGCI’s PlantSearch, GardenSearch,tree list and threatened plants list to support plantconservation prioritization efforts worldwide.

• Further develop vocational training courses and e-learning in knowledge gaps (e.g. CITES, seedconservation, science communication and education,education research and evaluation etc.);

• Facilitate the sharing of knowledge, skills, data,collections and infrastructures across the network,including facilities and data platforms;

• Offer an auditing and accreditation service for botanicgardens carrying out high quality conservation work.



A full suite of support materials and resources on policy andstatutory compliance is available via the BGCI website, includingABS, CITES, biosecurity/plant health, invasive species, treesafety etc;

BGCI’s new Botanic Garden Manual is established as the basis forcapacity building in botanic garden development and management;

A full suite of support materials, resources and training isavailable via the BGCI website covering red listing, ex situconservation, ecological restoration, plant health & biosecurity,tree conservation and, where applicable, how these relate tosustainable livelihoods;

An online library of support materials, resources and training is available, via the BGCI website, covering research andevaluation, interpretation, science communication and workingwith different audiences;

BGCI’s website and key information is available in Spanish,French, Chinese and other languages, as appropriate;

PlantSearch is updated and provides a unique andcomprehensive tool to support plant collection exchange andmanagement, conservation prioritisation, and data sharing;

GardenSearch is improved and updated as the mostcomprehensive source of information on botanic gardeninfrastructures and expertise;

BGCI’s threatened plants list is developed into the mostcomprehensive list of threatened plant taxa in the world and ismade available to users on our website as ‘ThreatSearch’ and asa resource for global plant conservation efforts;

BGCI’s tree list is developed into the most comprehensive globallist of tree taxa is and made available to users on our website as‘GlobalTreeSearch’ and as a resource for global treeconservation efforts;

At least 100 people per year are formally trained by BGCI in plantconservation policy, practice and public engagement, prioritisingidentified geographical areas and knowledge gaps, andbenefiting from using e-learning tools including webinars;

BGCI’s accreditation scheme for excellence in plant conservationpractice is established, and becomes the benchmark forconservation excellence in botanic gardens;

A Research and evaluation methodology is established toimprove the quality of public engagement delivered throughBGCI’s collaboration with botanic gardens;

The global botanic garden network is mobilised to providemutual support and capacity building through the developmentof a programme of botanic garden partnerships, mentoring andtwinning.

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4. BGCI as a funder

BGCI funds projects and training all around the world,equivalent to ten times what it receives in subscriptionsfrom its members. Over the next five years BGCI will:

• Develop and implement a US$30 million campaign,incorporating a broad portfolio of funders: trusts &foundations, individual funders, research funders,corporate sponsors and support from the general public;

• Establish an international plant conservation endowmentfund in order to provide consistent, reliable fundingsupport for plant conservation efforts in the network;

• Work with member botanic gardens to developprospectuses, show and tell portfolios, and fundraisingevents, excursions and materials;

• Mobilise funds and resources to deliver projects andtargeted plant conservation outcomes.



Funding raised by BGCI is doubled compared to 2015 levels, andoperational funding is directed at gaps in effort and knowledgetowards achieving the GSPC targets and other priorities forbotanic gardens and society.

BGCI’s international plant conservation endowment fund deliversregular income enabling targeted support for plant conservationin the botanic garden network, including resources towards theestablishment of new gardens and for supporting innovation.

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Fernando M. Fernandez

Antonina Shmaraeva

Curitiba Botanic Garden

Alan Hamilton

BGCI as a funder

15. Funding raised by BGCI is doubled compared to2015 levels, and is directed at gaps in effort andknowledge directed to achieving the GSPC targets.

BGCI building plant conservation capacity in botanicgardens and broader society

11. A full suite of support materials, resources andtraining is available, via the BGCI website, coveringplant conservation policy, practice and publicengagement.

12. At least 100 people per year are formally trained byBGCI in plant conservation policy, practice and publicengagement, prioritising identified geographical areasand knowledge gaps, and benefiting from using e-learning tools including webinars.

13. BGCI’s accreditation scheme for excellence in plantconservation practice is established, and becomesthe benchmark for conservation excellence inbotanic gardens.

14. A Research and evaluation methodology isestablished to improve the quality of publicengagement delivered through BGCI’s collaborationwith botanic gardens.

BGCI leading innovative and strategic projectsdelivering plant conservation policy, practice andpublic engagement

4. BGCI’s tree list is developed into the mostcomprehensive global list of tree taxa and madeavailable to users on our website as ‘GlobalTreeSearch’ and as a resource for global treeconservation efforts.

5. Conservation assessments are carried out for all treespecies through the Global Tree Assessment (GTA).

6. 200 gardens sign up to the Global SeedConservation Challenge, and seed from threatenedspecies is doubled in botanic gardens by 2020.

7. The Ecological Restoration Alliance comprising atleast 50 botanic garden members, and 100 long termrestoration sites, provides demonstration of bestpractice in ecological restoration for biodiversityconservation, ecosystem services and livelihoods.

8. The International Plant Sentinel Network earlywarning system is fully operational with membergardens in 40 countries and engages additionalpartners from both international and national planthealth institutes (including National Plant ProtectionOrganisations). p


Annex 1: BGCI’s goal and top 15 commitments by 2020

Overall goal by 2020

To engage our network of botanic gardens in over 100 countries around the world to ensure that no plant species becomes extinct, and to secure all plants for biodiversity, ecosystem services and human livelihoods.

BGCI’s 15 headline commitments by 2020

BGCI as a leader and advocate for the botanicgarden sector

1. BGCI Membership is increased to over 1000 botanicgarden members.

2. BGCI’s International Advisory Council is recognisedas the senior voice of the botanic gardenprofessional community.

3. BGCI maintains its position as the global authorityon Target 8 of the GSPC, leads data sharinginitiatives among botanic gardens, and will havepublished a major review on progress towards Target 8.

9. No tree extinctions on our watch! A zero extinctionGlobal Trees Campaign strategy is developed andimplemented for the world’s most threatened trees,in collaboration with FFI.

10. Communities in Nature: A Community of Practice isestablished consisting of 25 mentor botanic gardensand 25 beneficiary botanic gardens around the worldregistered as part of an online community, andworking together.


Annex 2: The targets of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (2011-2020)

Objective III: Plant diversity is used in a sustainableand equitable manner

Target 11: No species of wild flora endangered byinternational trade.

Target 12: All wild harvested plant-based productssourced sustainably.

Target 13: Indigenous and local knowledge innovationsand practices associated with plant resourcesmaintained or increased, as appropriate, to supportcustomary use, sustainable livelihoods, local foodsecurity and health care.

Objective V: The capacities and public engagementnecessary to implement the Strategy have beendeveloped

Target 15: The number of trained people working withappropriate facilities sufficient according to nationalneeds, to achieve the targets of this Strategy.

Target 16: Institutions, networks and partnerships forplant conservation established or strengthened atnational, regional and international levels to achieve thetargets of this Strategy.

Objective IV: Education and awareness about plantdiversity, its role in sustainable livelihoods andimportance to all life on earth is promoted

Target 14: The importance of plant diversity and the need

for its conservation incorporated into communication,

education and public awareness programmes.

Objective II: Plant diversity is urgently and effectivelyconserved

Target 4: At least 15 per cent of each ecological regionor vegetation type secured through effectivemanagement and/or restoration.

Target 5: At least 75 per cent of the most importantareas for plant diversity of each ecological regionprotected with effective management in place forconserving plants and their genetic diversity.

Target 6: At least 75 per cent of production lands ineach sector managed sustainably, consistent with theconservation of plant diversity.

Target 7: At least 75 per cent of known threatened plantspecies conserved in situ.

Target 8: At least 75 per cent of threatened plantspecies in ex situ collections, preferably in the country oforigin, and at least 20 per cent available for recovery andrestoration programmes.

Target 9: 70 per cent of the genetic diversity of cropsincluding their wild relatives and other socio-economically valuable plant species conserved, whilerespecting, preserving and maintaining associatedindigenous and local knowledge.

Target 10: Effective management plans in place toprevent new biological invasions and to manageimportant areas for plant diversity that are invaded.

Objective I: Plant diversity is well understood,documented and recognized

Target 1: An online flora of all known plants.

Target 2: An assessment of the conservation status ofall known plant species, as far as possible, to guideconservation action.

Target 3: Information, research and associated outputs,and methods necessary to implement the Strategydeveloped and shared.

Botanic Gardens Conservation International

Descanso House, 199 Kew Road,Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3BW, U.K.

Tel: +44 (0)20 8332 5953 Fax: +44 (0)20 8332 5956E-mail: [email protected]: www.bgci.org

BGCI is an independent organisationregistered in the United Kingdom as a charity(Charity Reg. No. 1098834) and a company

limited by guarantee (No. 4673175). BGCI (US) is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit

organisation in the USA.

Front Cvoer Image: Barney WilczakDesign: www.seascapedesign.co.uk

BGCI (US)

Chicago Botanic Garden,1000 Lake Cook Road,Glencoe, IL 60022, USA.

Tel: +1 847 835 6971E-mail: [email protected]: www.bgci.org/usa

BGCI (China)

South China Botanical Garden, 1190 Tian Yuan Road, Guangzhou, 510520, China.

Tel: +86 20 85231992 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.bgci.org/china

www.bgci.org

Business Case and Plan - BGCI...Plants are essential for human and other animal life on Earth in...

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